Extracting Lichen Dye
January 2021 - Present
March 2022 update
I completely forgot about these jars for the last year or so. Aeration and agitation stopped, and it was left out in extreme heat and cold. Interestingly, when I dipped some cotton yarn into the evernia prunastri solution, it was a beautiful purple. The dipped yarn did not seem to oxidize to any other shade either. The yarn was un-mordanted so the color didn't stay when washed out, but I plan to do a dyebath with wool this summer. The other lichen used turned from a green to a nice warm gray. I guess I just had to neglect these jars in order to get the colors I wanted.
Late summer 2021 update
Un-mordanted cotton fabric and wool yarn were left in the ammonia and lichen solution. After washing with castile soap and drying the wool was a lovely warm brown and the cotton was slightly off white. This was not the magenta I was looking for, but still a nice result.
Original post (January 2021)
I have always been interested in natural dyeing, and even more interested in finding dyes in unusual places. So on January 31, I started a dye bath solution using the lichen evernia prunastri. I have been gathering lichen for the last few years when I visit my family in Bellingham. I make sure to harvest ethically, as lichens are slow growers, mainly sticking to specimens that have fallen onto the ground. Evernia prunastri is interesting because if you were just to boil the fresh/dried lichen, it would produce a yellow-green, but when soaked in an ammonia solution for a month or more, a beautiful purple/magenta shade comes through. Another interesting note is that lichen dyes are substantive, in other words, no mordant is needed because all lichens contain acids to hold the colors.
More updates to come once the lichen has soaked for a few months. It seems promising though, because as of Feb. 11 (12 days), the solution has turned from a green-brown, to a nice burgundy-brown.
